The deep-set eye sockets were like those hidden in a Canyon. Within the opened pupils were emotions she could not read, carrying vast authority and will, as if examining her. Under that gaze, Sylvia felt heavy pressure, and honestly, without thinking of the dark future in the prophecy about the fall of Dragon Valley, she would never have dared step forward.
"But if we can borrow the power of this existence, maybe the Dragonkin still have a future."
Even the Clone of Edward, which had once been her nightmare, was crushed so easily. Maybe even if his true body came, it could be beaten down.
"Alright, I'm going to start talking now. Please stay quiet for the moment, especially you, Ham. Do not jump around."
"Mmhh!"
With her mouth sealed and her body wrapped like a caterpillar, Ham bounced up and down in excitement. It looked like agreement. Vera simply nodded, since they were all dragons and she was just a human.
Once everything was arranged, Sylvia turned back. She reviewed the Dragon Tongue vocabulary she had practiced countless times and went over it again in her mind. When facing such an ancient being, only the purest ancient Dragon Tongue could show proper respect.
She took a deep breath and spoke. "Greetings, respected elder, greatest of existences, please forgive the omission of the next five hundred seventy-six praise terms. May I ask who you are?"
It was not poetic like Elves, but it carried a strange rhythm and cadence. Pure ancient Dragon Tongue flowed out. What made her nervous was that the Black Dragon slightly raised its head, then lowered it again, and something unreadable appeared in its eyes.
It seemed to be thinking. For an instant, it was as if great wisdom shimmered around it. She could not help wondering what such an ancient existence might associate with from those words.
"What is this person saying?"
Belial looked up in confusion and did not dare answer yet. She expected a reply, but what came out was a string of sounds.
"…wA@…@-D/＜%$=[?]GN…"
It was completely unintelligible, with unclear meaning and strange syllables. From the rhythm and emotional expression, it did seem to be a language, not a joke. The problem was that Belial could not understand a single bit of it.
He had thought that even if he could not speak well, listening would be fine. Yet these sounds were things he had never learned before. The reason was simple, because Lilith had taught him languages commonly used across the continent.
This was not the pure ancient Dragon Tongue that almost no one outside the Dragonkin could speak. Dragons were fundamentally different in vocal structure from intelligent races that took humans as the Lord. Dragon language was bizarre, where a single roar could split into multiple meanings depending on context and attributes, and most importantly resonate with the Dragon Soul to be understood.
It was extremely complex. If this mysterious inheritance system of the Dragon Soul disappeared, ninety-nine percent of Great Dragon would become illiterate. Facing this, Belial could only think in panic.
"This won't work. Teacher, you never taught this foreign language. What am I supposed to say now?"
Awkwardness was far more terrifying than blades or fire. Belial could only lift his head and use his oversized brain to think of a solution. Flipping a dictionary would not help, and he had truly messed up this time.
He turned his head to the right, sensing something else. Looking closely, he saw a dazzling golden figure with an arrogant air step out from the crowd trapped in the spatial prison. The figure raised a sword toward him.
"In the name of Augustus, I will slay you, evil dragon!"
…
In a corner unnoticed by the others, within the sealed spatial domain, Augustus's finger twitched slightly. He opened eyes like a lion's. The lion emblem branded on his robe seemed alive as it spread across his face like strange markings.
His body began to change. His limbs lengthened, fur grew, and he evolved toward something beastlike and inhuman. At the same time, a virtual golden Crown and robe appeared above and around him, bearing the royal symbols of Faris Empire.
This proved that the emperor had opened his eyes. Augustus walked freely within the spatial prison, filled with an indescribable kingly presence. As a child of the Royal Family, all except the emperor had no individual names, and they were all Augustus, especially in this generation.
According to the oath made with that so-called ally and the bloodline of his kin, the emperor of Faris Empire, Augustus, had already descended at the border of his realm. He glanced at the distant city and saw that the bridgehead fortress still stood, not destroyed as expected, and realized he had been tricked by wording.
The bomb had indeed detonated, or the pact would not have taken effect, but it did not achieve the result he wanted. It did not matter, since he had already counted such outcomes as uncertainties. The death of one child, the disappearance of a duke the Lord, and the death of a diplomatic group were enough reasons for war.
Augustus then looked at the nearby scene and saw the mountain-like Black Dragon. His eyes widened. What was this thing? Had the Dragonkin mutated into some strange new type? Or was it something left behind by that so-called ally?
According to the pact, he needed to exile that third duke the Lord and a young Black Dragon to a designated place. As for a slightly larger Black Dragon and a silver dragon, they could not stop him.
After settling on the outcome, Augustus stepped out of the spatial prison. Everything that happened had taken only an instant. Wearing a robe, bearing a golden Crown, and holding a lion sword, Augustus appeared before everyone.
He raised the sword and pointed it directly at Belial, who looked the strongest. This avatar was not within his own territory but at the border, and could not withstand much of his power. So he would end it quickly, using his rules and legends to kill this evil dragon, then exile the small Black Dragon and the duke the Lord.
As for the remaining silver dragon, he would decide based on his mood. After all, her fate had not been written into the previous pact.
"Salutations to Faris Empire, to Augustus the Great!"
"Now kneel before the emperor, and I may grant you lowly beings my greatest mercy!"
His entire body was dyed in golden Gold Rank, and powerful Magic mixed with some mysterious force spread outward with the emperor's words. In a brief blur, the border beneath his feet was defined as his own territory.
With the support of his domain and standing within his own land, Augustus's words became the law of the Empire. Laws were not something anyone dared to defy, and every sentence caused irreversible effects on reality at a conceptual level.
He radiated authority, and the ground beneath him seemed no longer like soil but the supreme hall of the Empire. Holding a treasured sword high, Augustus addressed everyone with absolute imperial dignity.
It should have been an overwhelming scene. That was, if the group had not just witnessed gods fighting moments earlier.
"…"
"…"
"Who is this bumpkin, all shiny and gold? So full of himself."
Vera and Sylvia both stayed silent.
Sylvia could feel the other side's powerful Magic aura, as well as how the surrounding reality was being disturbed by his Laws and domain. If this had been earlier, this was certainly a foe she would have treated seriously.
But now she glanced at Belial, who was watching like it was a show, then looked back at Augustus, her expression turning strange. How exactly did Edward die just now, did this man not see it at all?
Was he really daring to act like this in such a situation? Did he think their big boss had not killed enough yet?
Only Ham, who had just torn off the seal on her mouth, spoke bluntly. "What era is this, still wearing such flashy rich-gold colors, how tacky."
"And calling yourself an emperor?" She laughed. "What kind of emperor has such terrible taste, dressing entirely in gold, hahaha!"
Everyone present fell silent, with only one person's laughter echoing. Augustus's expression did not change.
It was only trivial mockery, and as an emperor, he naturally would not care. The sharp tongues of court ministers in the past had been far harsher than this.
"But you will be the first to be exiled, as punishment for insulting a noble emperor!"
Violent golden Gold Rank light surged around him, his robe snapping loudly as he decided to crush everyone present with unstoppable grandeur. His first target would be that largest Black Dragon.
"I am the emperor! I am Augustus! The honored Dragon-Slaying Champion! You evil dragon shall bow and await death!"
With his roar and imperial command, the imagined posture manifested before everyone. The domain shrank and intertwined, forming a vast and majestic figure.
It was a gigantic golden knight, nearly the size of Belial. Its ornate Gold armor was carved with countless feats and honors, and it was not made of pure matter but a manifestation of rules and domain under the emperor's command.
It bore wings, held a giant shield with a lion emblem in one hand and a greatsword in the other. A cloak of glory fluttered behind it, and the jeweled crown on its head shone ever brighter.